SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Survival rates for patients with stage 4 colorectal cancer are only about 10% to 15 % after five years, however those numbers get better the sooner you can catch it.
Like many people, Dan Nesvold wasn’t keen on getting a colonoscopy.
“Just delay it as long as possible,” Nesvold said of his attitude.
When he was 47, doctors pushed the age to get screened from 50 to 45. Since he had waited that long, he didn’t think a few more years would hurt.
“The guidelines changed in 2021, which reflects the fact that we’re diagnosing colon cancer earlier and younger individuals,” Sanford Medical Oncologist, Dr. Allison Watson said.
Nesvold and his doctor talked about the difference between who should get a colonoscopy versus doing a stool based test like cologuard.
“It is appropriate for our patients, at average risk for colon cancer. So no signs or symptoms of colon cancer, no bowel problems and no family history of colon cancer,” Watson said.
Nesvold opted to do the cologuard.
“I went through that process and then, was informed that I should also have a follow up colonoscopy, and so then I did that and eventually came to a cancer diagnosis,” Nesvold said.
After receiving his diagnosis, his older sister decided it was time for her to take action as well.
“She scheduled her colonoscopy and found out, early January, that she also had colon cancer. And so she had surgery on Feb. 4 and good results and will not have to do any follow up chemo,” Nesvold said.
Like he was able to do for his sister, Nesvold hopes he can encourage others to get screened sooner, rather than later.
“Had I done mine sooner, you know, 2 or 3 years before, I would have, you know, probably had a polyp removed and moved on and not had to gone through surgery and chemo and, and so that that’s the part of early screening, I think that people need to understand,” Nesvold said.
Watson says that if the cancer is detected early and hasn’t spread, that survival rates are 90% or higher after five years.
